Bicentennial Celebration

Doug and Mary Sanford, chairpersons

Celebrate the faith of our past
Strengthen the faith of our present
Assure the faith of our future

In 2003 the First Presbyterian Church of Watertown celebrated its 200th birthday. It is the oldest house of worship in the city. The Bicentennial Committee held a series of events throughout the year that celebrated this milestone.

Major programs for the 2003 Bicentennial Year
Sunday, May 4 - Rev. D. Brent J. Eelman, guest pastor
Monday, May 5 - Bicentennial musical program, "Pipes of Jubilee at FPC"
Sunday, June 1 - Rev. John B. Smiley, guest pastor
Tuesday, June 3 - Founders Day Dinner and Program
Sunday, June 29 - Avery Cardinal Dulles, guest of honor
Friday, Oct 10 - Bicentennial Banquet and Program
Sunday, Oct 12 - Rev. Dr. David B. Watermulder, guest pastor
Saturday, Dec 2 - Presbytery of NNY meeting at FPC

Bicentennial souvenirs
Souvenir appointment calendars featuring 13 black and white sketches of our church drawn by local artists are being produced by the Bicentennial Committee. The price has been reduced to $8. The souvenir plates cost $20 each ($1 for a hanger). A beautiful photograph of our church by Dr. John McCreary has been made into a postcard for $.50 each or $2.00 for 5. These items will be on display and for sale in fellowship hall each Sunday. You may also contact the church office. Videos of the following special services are now available: May 4 - Brent Eelman, May 18 - Fred Garry installation, June 1 - Jack Smiley and June 29 - Cardinal Dulles. You may borrow or purchase a copy through the church office. All of these items will make ideal gifts.

Pictorial directory
As part of the bicentennial we published a new pictorial church directory. Pick up your copy following worship in Fellowship Hall.

In Fellowship Hall a timeline has been put up with pictures from our 200 year history. There are also some artifacts on display such as a white pew from the 1821 Stone church building. There is also a list of 67 names of those who have been church members for more than 50 years!

On January 26, 2003 we conducted our 200th Annual Meeting. During these 200 years we have had 19 senior pastors. The 20th is Rev. Fred Garry. Pastors who have served the longest are: The Rev. Dr. Darwin Pickard - 29 years; The Rev. Dr. Isaac Brayton - 27 years; The Rev. John B. Smiley - 25 years. We have had 10 associate pastors and several assistant pastors. The associate pastor serving the longest was the Rev. Ellison Elmer - 17 years. Our longest serving interim senior pastor was The Rev. Gerald Platz - 3 years. We've had only one interim associate pastor - The Rev. Robert Findlay.

Our Challenge
In 1800, three men landed here in Northern New York and decided to stake out a place to live. What they had at their disposal were a lot of trees, a lot of swamps, and a roaring river. One of these men was Hart Massey. He built a cabin on what is now Public Square. Two weeks later he held the first church service in the area in this cabin. Later, he and his wife and children traveled by foot and horseback to Burrville to worship at the newly formed church that was organized in Caleb Burnham's barn and was led by the Reverend Ebenezer Lazelle.

Then, in 1820, Hart Massey and others built a stone church right here on this corner. He was one of the elders and was Clerk of Session. When they outgrew that church they built another one - of brick - a church that would seat 1000 people. That's the church we're in today. That's where we're sitting this Sunday morning. These people dreamed and built and realized their dreams. Through the years we did reach a membership of a thousand and did become an outstanding church that stood as a beacon of Christian love in the community.

Now our membership is around 600. The sanctuary on Sunday is only partly full.

We need to dream and build again. We need to be active and enthusiastic stewards for Christ. We need to come to church on Sunday. We need to gain new members. We need to participate in the committees and councils of the church. We need to reach out into the community. We need to give of ourselves until we realize our dreams.

Just as Hart Massey cleared the land on Public Square and built a windowless cabin with a dirt floor and then invited others to pray with him. Just as Hart Massey and his family walked and rode horseback to Burrville for those early services. Just as he and his descendants dreamed and built this beautiful church that seats a thousand people. Let us all do our very best to go out and do whatever we have to do to grow again. We have a wonderful church. Let's make it a great church! What a marvelous Bicentennial gift that would be!
(From a "Minute for Mission" on stewardship given by Dr. Doug Sanford during the October 27, 2002 service)

Memorial gifts of the past
Memorial gifts are given to our church by those who love the church and who have fond memories of loved ones. They are a part of our history that we are learning to appreciate. Several of these gifts are found in our newly redecorated chapel.

The chapel organ was given in 1981 by friends and family of Miss Edith Henderson. A small bookcase for music next to the organ was given at that time by Mrs. Marian Frink. The marble-topped communion table was given in 1879 by Mrs. Robert Lansing in memory of her husband. The brass cross was a gift from the Study Club in 1926. The brass candlesticks were a gift from Mrs. Sterling's Guild in 1946. The lectern hoding the Bible was installed in 1953 by Mrs. J. Munson Gamble during a redecoration of the chapel. The Bible was a gift from Susan and Charles Peters, in honor of her mother, Mildred Olson, in 2000. It replaced the Bible from 1954 given by Fred Bugbee in memory of Maebelle Bugbee. The Baldwin piano in the chapel was given to the church in 1989 by former organist Lewis B. Washburn in memory of his cousin Mrs. Eva Washburn.

The latest gift in the chapel is the refurbishment of two historic chairs that graced our sanctuary from 1851 to 1892. Tom Walker repaired and restored the chairs and the Presbyterian Women donated funds for re-upholstering and recovering them.

Salute to organizations
During the church bicentennial year of 2003, we recognized and saluted the many organizations sponsored by our church which have added to the vitality of the church. These include the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts. We have learned that B.S. Troop 4 has been active since the 1930s. G.S. Troops 2, 7, 35 (cadettes), 347, 146, 153, 29 and 61 have met and been sponsored by First Presbyterian Church.

Weddings
The bicentennial committee did a pictorial feature of weddings that have occurred in our church through the years. Many photos have been taken at our altar, in the chapel, on the porch of the Christian Education Building, or at the Washington Street church entrance.

Newsletters

Our collection of monthly newsletters is missing the issues listed below. So much history and informative reports can be obtained from the collection that began in 1955. This is a great time to find these newsletters (now called "First Press") for the church archives. If you have any missing newsletters please bring them to the church office or telephone Mary or Doug Sanford.

1962: May
1964: April, September, November, December
1965: October, December
1966: April, September
1973: March, November
1977: October, November, December
1978: ALL Missing
1979: ALL Missing
1980: ALL Missing
1981: January, June, November
1982: February, June
1983: February, November
1984: February, October
1985: February
1988: June